Galaxy Note7 Investigation Results Are Here – Two Reasons That Doomed the Flagship From the Start

The Galaxy Note7 investigation has finally been concluded, thus putting the final nail in the coffin of what could have been the greatest Android flagship introduced in 2016. Samsung has managed to isolate the issues that led to the fiery explosions and claims full responsibility for the aftermath. This will also provide a large number of lessons for competing phone manufacturers. The smartphone market is extremely competitive and while that forces companies to expedite the manufacturing phase of its flagship devices, it can also lead to deleterious results like this.

Samsung Claims That Battery Design Flaw and Rushed Manufacturing Lead to the Galaxy Note7 Saga That’s Transpired in Recent Months

According to Samsung, there were two things wrong with the battery of the Galaxy Note7. The first battery had a design flaw that could have caused a short circuit, resulting in Samsung initiating a global-scale recall mission and replacing the smartphone units with different cells. However, the problems persisted, leading Samsung to conclude that the issue with the second battery was that of a welding defect and the fact that some of these cells were missing insulation tape.

In an interview with Recode, Samsung mobile head DJ Koh said the following in an interview:

“It was a very painful period, but in a couple of months we learned a lot. I wish [that] this serves as an opportunity to improve safety of lithium-ion not only for Samsung but for the entire industry.”

Samsung’s America head Tim Baxter told the following regarding the company’s ability to sell the smartphone in the market:

“We believe if not for that manufacturing issue on the ramp [of battery B], the Note 7 would still be on the market.”

Earlier in 2016, one teardown team revealed that the reason why the flagship ended up exploding was because the aggressive design of the device didn’t allow it to give the battery sufficient breathing room. Samsung was also reported in 2016 to rush the manufacturing and announcement of the Note7 in order to get a healthy lead over Apple’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The company might have completed the objective, but at what cost?